Senators urge Bush to make case for Iraq war

U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says a war with Iraq is likely.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Lawmakers said Sunday that the Bush administration must make its case with Congress, U.S. allies and the American public for military action against Iraq.

"A lot more spadework has to be done to make a case to the American people, its allies and the region," U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

The Delaware Democrat said the United States must push first for unrestricted access for weapons inspectors before undertaking any military action. Even if Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein rejects the push, the effort would help persuade other nations to support a U.S.-led strike, the senator said.

He said he believes there probably will be a war on Iraq, estimating it could cost as much as $80 billion to $100 billion.

U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Connecticut, told "Fox News Sunday" that such an action wouldn't occur before late this year, suggesting that the Bush administration use that time to seek permission from Congress.

"I hope that the president and I hope the leadership of Congress will, before the end of this year, schedule a debate in which we will grant President Bush authority to take action to remove Saddam Hussein," Lieberman said.

Collecting the facts and presenting them will be critical to the administration's efforts, said U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania.

"I believe we have to get into the details: What will it cost us in terms of casualties if we go to war with Iraq? What will we do afterward?" Specter said on CNN's "Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer."

As talk of war with Iraq surged in the United States -- following two days of Senate committee hearings last week -- reaction elsewhere was more cautious.

Great Britain is expected to be supportive, but Germany, Saudi Arabia and Iran have expressed concern, and Oman said Sunday it would oppose an attack.

Amid the renewed discussion of a strike on Iraq, Hussein has offered to reopen talks with U.N. weapons inspectors. The Baghdad government suggested last week that the talks could lead to the resumption of inspections for the first time since 1998.

But U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell dismissed the overture, saying Hussein was trying to stall for time.

"Inspections are not the issue; disarmament is the issue and making certain that they have no weapons of mass destruction and they did what they were supposed to do, but we know they haven't," Powell said Saturday in Manila, Philippines.

The U.N. Security Council plans to discuss the offer.

After the Persian Gulf War, Iraq agreed in 1991 to get rid of any weapons of mass destruction and have its disarmament verified by U.N. inspectors.

But disagreements over how the inspections would be carried out led the United Nations to accuse Iraq of not cooperating with inspectors.

By December 1998, inspectors pulled out in advance of U.S. bombings.

On Sunday, Lieberman urged quick action.

"Every day Saddam remains in power with chemical weapons, biological weapons and the development of nuclear weapons is a day of danger for the United States of America," he said.